After a whole morning of "audiophilical" critical listening on Saturday, I was drained and ended up sleeping until around 5:30 pm. In a hurry, I grabbed my portable Hi-End audio system, which consists of a 5-yuan (≈ 0.7 usd) earbuds and a 30-yuan (≈ 4.19 usd) usb dongle, and headed to the playground to check in.
Suddenly, I heard a bell chime in the music, as if it were coming from the Florence Cathedral. I was amazed by its perfection and puzzled by its unfamiliarity. I glanced at the track playing: City of Jerusalem from Assassin's Creed (Original Game Soundtrack). It had a medieval style with a religious feel but no pipe organ, indicating it was background music for an outdoor setting in the game. Hmm… the bell chime made sense.
A beat later, a second bell chime sounded perfectly in time. This track had been in my playlist for years, and I had never noticed the bell chimes before. I wondered if my brain was too exhausted from the morning's listening session, or… could it be that only this cheap setup could reveal such an extraordinary soundstage, an out-of-the-stage performance?
The third bell chime sounded, and I could no longer deceive myself. It was so real, so clear… yet so distant. The so-called "soundstage" created by some of my five-digit headphone systems seemed so weak and ridiculous in front of this 35-yuan bell chime.
The fourth chime.
The fifth chime. I had to take off my earbuds; my understanding of sound shall not be overturned this easily!
The sixth bell chime rang. As I looked towards the direction of the sound — it was the bell tower in the campus, and the clock pointed exactly to VI.
The cheap sound units filled my head with sound, not just music, but also a strong wind noise. Although the sound quality was mediocre, being not have to listen critically made me feel just relaxed.
Suddenly, I heard a bell chime in the music, as if it were coming from the Florence Cathedral. I was amazed by its perfection and puzzled by its unfamiliarity. I glanced at the track playing: City of Jerusalem from Assassin's Creed (Original Game Soundtrack). It had a medieval style with a religious feel but no pipe organ, indicating it was background music for an outdoor setting in the game. Hmm… the bell chime made sense.
A beat later, a second bell chime sounded perfectly in time. This track had been in my playlist for years, and I had never noticed the bell chimes before. I wondered if my brain was too exhausted from the morning's listening session, or… could it be that only this cheap setup could reveal such an extraordinary soundstage, an out-of-the-stage performance?
The third bell chime sounded, and I could no longer deceive myself. It was so real, so clear… yet so distant. The so-called "soundstage" created by some of my five-digit headphone systems seemed so weak and ridiculous in front of this 35-yuan bell chime.
The fourth chime.
The fifth chime. I had to take off my earbuds; my understanding of sound shall not be overturned this easily!
The sixth bell chime rang. As I looked towards the direction of the sound — it was the bell tower in the campus, and the clock pointed exactly to VI.
